Nike (mythology)

The Winged Victory of Samothrace in the Louvre, Paris

In old Greek stories, Nike (Greek: Νίκη) was the spirit of victory. She showed the idea of winning. In old Greek life, it was common to make gods or goddesses that showed ideas. Some other examples were Wisdom, Knowledge, and Justice. These gods of ideas were a little different from the other Greek gods. Most Greek gods had human lives, stories, and feelings, but these idea gods usually did not. Because of this, not much was said about Nike in Greek stories. People only said that her mother was Styx, who was the daughter of Ocean, and her father was Pallas, who was a Titan. Nike had three sisters. They were also gods that showed ideas. Their names were Zelus, which meant rivalry, Cratos, which meant power over others, and Bia, which meant force. Nike and her sisters were always shown sitting near the great god Zeus on Mount Olympus.

Nike was very popular in old Greek art. Artists showed her in stone statues, on clay pots, and on coins. The poet Hesiod called her “beautiful-ankled Nike,” and artists often showed her like this. She was shown with wings. She often held a round ring of leaves called a victory wreath. She held this wreath in front of her to give to other gods or to heroes and sports winners. The oldest winged statue of Nike that still exists today was found on the island of Delos and was made around 550 BCE. It was most likely made by the artist Archermos. This statue was made in the old Archaic art style. In this style, the body often had bent knees and looked like it was running. On clay pots from Athens from the 5th to the 4th century BCE, Nike is also often shown riding a chariot. Sometimes she is shown standing next to an altar or next to a bull that will be given as a gift to the gods. One of the most common names for the goddess Athena was Athena Nike, which means Athena of victory. A temple for Athena as Victory was built on the Acropolis of Athens in the late 420s BCE. On the roof of the temple there were bronze statues of Nike used as extra roof decorations. These stood on the corners and in the middle of the roof. Around the temple there was also a stone fence. On this fence there was a carved picture band that showed many figures of Nike. In these pictures Nike was leading bulls to be given to the gods and was also putting up victory signs such as weapons and body armor.

Nike was also shown in stone decorations on other buildings. She appeared in carved picture bands on walls and also on many temple roofs as roof statues. Her picture was also on many coins from places such as Thrace and Macedonia. For example, she appears on a silver coin from Syracuse in Sicily made around 400 BCE. On this coin she is putting a victory wreath on the head of a man driving a chariot. People also made statues of Nike to remember war victories. One famous statue was about 1.4 meters tall and stood on the Acropolis of Athens. It was made around 490 to 480 BCE and was given in honor of the army leader Kallimachos. He died in the battle of Marathon, where the Greeks won against the Persians. In the ancient world, the most famous images of Nike were part of two very large statues made in the 5th century BCE. One statue was of the goddess Athena in the Parthenon in Athens, and the other statue was of the god Zeus in the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. These statues were much bigger than a real person. They were made with a wooden frame inside. The outside was covered with carved ivory and shiny gold. The face, chest, legs, and arms were made from ivory. The hair and clothes were made from thin sheets of gold. In both statues, the god held a small statue of Nike in the right hand. Nike was always closely linked with Athena. With Zeus at Olympia, she was also important because she gave prizes to winners of the great Greek games. The statue of Zeus was seen as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Zeus was shown sitting on a very large and richly decorated throne. On the legs of the throne there were also small figures of Nike. Today, both of these great statues are lost. But the writer Pausanias wrote about them, and small Roman copies and coin pictures help us imagine how amazing they once looked.

Another famous statue of Nike in ancient times was made by the artist Paionios. This statue stood outside the Temple of Zeus at Olympia on a tall stone base that was nine meters high and shaped like a triangle. The statue was given to the temple by the people of Messenia and Naupaktos after they won a battle against the Spartans at Sphakteria in 424 BCE. The statue of Nike itself was about three meters tall. Because it stood so high, it rose above many other statues in the area. The statue was made in a rich art style that was popular in the late 5th century BCE. Nike wore a long dress that looked like it was blowing in the wind but also clinging to her body. Her wings were spread wide. The statue gives the feeling that the goddess had just softly landed on the tall stone base at that very moment.